How common is the surname Chen?

169,580 people in the United States had the surname Chen in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,821 Americans. It ranked 150th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Chen?

Chen Shui-bian, 10th and 11th President of Republic of China(Taiwan) (2000–2008), followed by Nathan Chen.

Where is the surname Chen most common?

Wikidata records people named Chen in the United States, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan and 3 other countries.

How do you pronounce Chen?

Chen is /t͡ʃɛn/, one syllable.

Is the surname Chen getting more or less common?

More common. 105,544 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 169,580 in 2010, up 61%.

Is Chen also a first name?

Yes. Chen is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Chen

A Chinese surname, carried by 169,580 people in the United States.

Pronounced /t͡ʃɛn/ 1 syllable Soundex C500

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Chen is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

From Mandarin 陳／陈 (Chén). Doublet of Tan, Chan, and Tran.

One of 193 Chinese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 169,580 people named Chen in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,821 Americans. That is up 61% since 2000, when the Census counted 105,544.

#150

rank among US surnames

169,580

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+60.7%

change since 2000 (was #260)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#141	Harrison	181,091	1,705
#142	Fernandez	180,842	1,707
#143	McDonald	180,497	1,711
#144	Woods	177,425	1,740
#145	Washington	177,386	1,741
#146	Kennedy	176,865	1,746
#147	Wells	176,230	1,752

Who is named Chen

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

96% of people named Chen identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 1.6% as two or more races and 1.4% as white (not Hispanic).

Asian and Pacific Islander 96%
Two or more races 1.6%
White (not Hispanic) 1.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 0.5%
Black (not Hispanic) 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.0%

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Chens

37 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Chen Shui-bian
10th and 11th President of Republic of China(Taiwan) (2000–2008)
Nathan Chen
American figure skater (born 1999)
Chen Hao
Actress and singer, born 1979
Karen Chen
American figure skater, born 1999
Chen Szu-yuan
Archer, born 1981
Peter Chen
American computer scientist, born 1947
Chen Weixing
Austrian table tennis player, born 1972
Ian Chen
American actor, born 2006
Chen Li-Ju
Archer, born 1981
Tiger Chen
Actor, born 1975
Tina Chen
American actress, born 1943
Chen Shi
3rd century Shu Han state general, 181–201

Notable Chens come mostly from the United States (16), the People's Republic of China (7) and Taiwan (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Chen

Chen has the Soundex code C500, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code C500.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Chen come from?: From Mandarin 陳／陈 (Chén). Doublet of Tan, Chan, and Tran.
How common is the surname Chen?: 169,580 people in the United States had the surname Chen in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,821 Americans. It ranked 150th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Chen?: In the 2010 Census, 96% of people named Chen identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 1.6% as two or more races.
Who is the most famous person named Chen?: Chen Shui-bian, 10th and 11th President of Republic of China(Taiwan) (2000–2008), followed by Nathan Chen.
Where is the surname Chen most common?: Wikidata records people named Chen in the United States, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Chen?: Chen is /t͡ʃɛn/, one syllable.
Is the surname Chen getting more or less common?: More common. 105,544 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 169,580 in 2010, up 61%.
Is Chen also a first name?: Yes. Chen is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.